[comp.mail.mh] Problem with Print Command

maassen@kreon.informatik.rwth-aachen.de (Andreas Maassen) (06/27/91)

I always used the following print command with xmh

Xmh*PrintCommand: lpr -Plaser -h  >/dev/null 2>/dev/null

Everything worked well until I wanted to use an additional
filter:

Xmh*PrintCommand: mp -l | lpr -Plaser -h -c  >/dev/null 2>/dev/null

With this print command, nothing happens, although the command
as such is correct, since it works if I type it into a shell.

Any suggestions what might be wrong?

Andreas Maassen (maassen@informatik.rwth-aachen.de)

jerry@ora.com (Jerry Peek) (06/27/91)

In article <maassen.678015703@kreon> maassen@kreon.informatik.rwth-aachen.de (Andreas Maassen) writes:
> Xmh*PrintCommand: mp -l | lpr -Plaser -h -c  >/dev/null 2>/dev/null
> 
> With this print command, nothing happens, although the command
> as such is correct, since it works if I type it into a shell.

The problem is that xmh tacks the filenames to print onto the *end* of
the command line, after the pipe.  The command xmh runs to print
messages 1 and 2 in your inbox will be like:

	mp -l | lpr -Plaser -h -c  >/dev/null 2>/dev/null inbox/1 inbox/2

Write a little shell script that puts the filenames (inbox/1 inbox/2)
in the right place and use that shell script as the Xmh*PrintCommand.

The "MH & xmh" Nutshell Handbook has an "xmhprint" shell script in
section 12.8.  You can get a copy of it by anonymous ftp or uucp
from uunet.uu.net in the file nutshell/MHxmh/MHxmh.tar.Z.

--Jerry Peek, jerry@ora.com or uunet!ora!jerry